


We've Only Just Begun

by Roga



Category: In Other Lands - Sarah Rees Brennan, The Turn of the Story - Sarah Rees Brennan
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-17
Updated: 2016-12-17
Packaged: 2018-09-09 08:36:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8884072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roga/pseuds/Roga
Summary: Luke and Elliot take a stroll along the lake.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [axiom_of_stripe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/axiom_of_stripe/gifts).



> Takes place immediately after Wings in the Morning, the Turn of the Story short story sequel. Spoilers herein.
> 
>  **Update - Aug 2017:** Turn of the Story was the pre-novel version of In Other Lands, and ended right before Elliot learned Luke's secret, followed by Wings in the Morning, a short story from Luke's POV about their journey to the harpy forest. So this fic fits into the timeline of the revised novel in a sort of roundabout way, but hopefully still fun to read :-)

It was still dark when Elliot woke. He blinked his eyes open slowly, cataloging sensations bit by bit: an arm resting against his waist; a pair of knees bumping against his own; feathers, soft and heavy on his shoulders, trapping him in a cocoon of heat he couldn't imagine wanting to drag himself out of; the light puffs of Luke's breaths, so close Elliot could feel them on his nose; the clearing of a throat.

Elliot went back to that one.

"You're certainly fast-tracking through the ranks, Commander Shafer," said Commander Woodsinger. "Shall I bring you the maps so you can plan the protection detail for our voyage back? I do hope the bed is comfortable, by the way."

Elliot started, "In my defense--," but could not think of anything but the tired look on Luke's face, the blood on the edge of his wings, the way he moved where Elliot directed him, compliant with exhaustion, the way his eyes were soft when they kissed. Instead, he gestured vaguely at Luke's heavily sleeping body, still knocked out in the face of his commanding officer catching them in flagrante Goldilocks. It was a display of self-preservation either astoundingly unbecoming for a soldier or, perhaps, well-calculated for someone who was terrible at talking his way out of things but was perfectly willing to let Elliot take the fall.

Commander Woodsinger seemed wholly unimpressed with this argument.

"Today's taken a very taxing emotional toll on him you know," Elliot pointed out. "Can you really say no to that face?"

Luke signed deeply in his sleep.

For a moment Woodsinger looked at the heavens, and then dropped her gaze to glare back at Elliot. "I can certainly say no to you. Out."

Elliot rolled out of the bed. Luke snuggled into the warm blankets left in his wake. It was truly unfair and frankly discriminatory. Still, he resisted the temptation to wake Luke up so they could suffer the cold together. If there was something Elliot was fairly confident he knew how to be, it was a good boyfriend.

*

"Well that's ridiculous," Luke said, when Elliot said as much the next day, as they continued their journey back to the training camp.

Elliot's eyebrows rose. "I'm sorry? I will have you know I am an _excellent_ boyfriend. Serene can vouch for me. Serene, tell him."

"Well," Serene said, "It's not very respectful to kiss and tell, and what more I still have not made up my mind whether your whole – everything – is a sweet romance or a terrible disaster we might all never recover from, so please consider my words neutral rather than encouraging, but: yes. Elliot was a very good boyfriend. A little too independent than is conventional," she said, contemplative, then added hurriedly, "but I like that, of course."

Elliot wasn't sure that glowing recommendation helped make his point. "You can at least admit I'm very skilled in—"

"I certainly will not!" she exclaimed, dropping her voice to a hiss. "There are _gentlemen_ present." Behind them, Golden flushed, looking pleased, and Serene waited until he ducked his head for a moment before emphatically mouthing at Luke: _Elliot is very good in bed_.

Luke's face was the color of strawberries. "I don't even understand how this conversation happened," he said plaintively.

"We've only been dating for a day, and you already doubted my boyfriend skills!"

"I did not!" said Luke. "The only thing I doubted was you saying you only thought you were good at being a boyfriend. Which is ridiculous, because you think you're good at everything."

"I—oh." Elliot took that in. Luke was still, rather adorably, red. "Wait, do _you_ think I'm good at everything?"

"Obviously not," said Luke. "I might be in love with you, but I haven't lost my mind entirely."

"Wait," said Elliot.

"Wait," said Luke.

Everyone stopped. Elliot's heart was doing strange things in his chest.

"Boys," Serene said carefully, after a minute. Nobody dared to move. " _Golden_ , dewdrop," she hissed. "Can you help. All their feelings. What do we do?"

"Just give them a moment," Golden murmured. "They'll be okay."

Luke's eyes were wide. The tips of his wings trembled as he breathed.

Elliot clasped his hand, felt his palm warm and strong and a little sweaty in his own. "Yeah," he said, gave Luke a little squeeze. "Yeah. We're okay."

*

It was a few days of travel back to camp. Cold nights that Elliot was forced, tragically, to endure alone. Commander Woodsinger had provided him with a small tent the size of a single bed roll and the height of, approximately, Elliot's knees, and forbidden him from sharing anyone's tent otherwise. 

"I'm afraid you have proven yourself utterly unreliable and cannot be trusted not to fraternize with any of our cadets," she'd proclaimed.

It did not help that, when searching for examples of other partners Elliot could platonically bunk with, he mistakenly pointed at the dullest person he could think of, Dale, who promptly looked down with guilt when the commander asked if he had ever consorted with Elliot. "Et tu, Wavechaser," she'd sighed with disappointment, before exiling Elliot to the edge of the perimeter with that pitiful excuse for shelter.

It did mean that he was alone and cornered when Rachel Sunborn decided to pay him a visit in the middle of the night.

"I am here," Rachel said, using her skirt to casually polish a knife that glinted in the moonlight, "to ask you about your intentions regarding my son."

"How did you get here?" Elliot asked, mystified. "Have you infiltrated the camp? Does the commander know?"

Rachel waved him off. "The commander knows that I am here to chaperone and is grateful for my assistance. Talk to me, Elliot Schafer. We both know my son has a big heart, and he has put it in your hands. Do you intend to defile him?"

"Of course not!" 

"Well, why on _earth_ not?"

"I—wait, what?"

"Elliot, darling," Rachel said. "You are both certainly old enough. I have heard rumors of your virility."

"Wow, not where I meant that exchange to end up."

"Luke is a good boy, and he cares for you. You would be foolish to throw that away."

"God, I thought you were here to _chaperone_." 

"We don't live forever, you know." Rachel sighed. "Not with our lifestyles. In the course of our life I could have died a hundred times over. So could Michael. Luke's father is already dead. It is a shame to waste time."

"Well that's because you're all Sunborns who carry the same genetic defect of violent idiotic self-sacrifice, no offence intended."

"I don't see how," she said dryly.

"Look, _believe_ me," Elliot said, firm because he had very strong opinions on this topic. "I will do everything in my power to avert any opportunity Luke might have to get himself killed. I _promise_."

Rachel patted his shoulder, sticking out of the tent. "That's all good and well and romantic, dear, but sometimes a boy needs to get himself laid."

"Oh my god."

"Now," she leaned in close, and said words that made Elliot's eyes widen with horror. "Here's what you need to know about harpies."

*

"Hey," Luke said the next day, startling Elliot. He looked hesitant. "We're okay, right? It's just – you're awfully quiet. Are you freaking out?"

"Sorry, yes, absolutely."

"…Oh," Luke said. "Uh." He took a deep breath. "Look—"

"I'm freaking out because your mother spent last night giving me _harpy sex tips_ ," Elliot said. 

Luke made a strangled sound. 

"Yes! _Exactly._ "

Louise Sunborn chose that moment to ride a steer close to them, slowing to a walk to be at their pace. "Hey, boys," she said.

"Oh great, you're here too," Elliot said.

She winked. "What're you doing?"

"We're mostly busy being traumatized together, thank you."

"Ah," she said, understanding. "Mum gave you the talk, did she?" Elliot's expression must have been clear enough not to warrant a reply. "Good. You be good to my little brother. And you," she said pointedly to Luke. "Don't forget what we talked about."

"Oh, I'm _trying_ to forget it," Luke said, sounding pained. "Every single day."

Louise nodded with a grin, and kicked her horse back to a trot.

Elliot turned to Luke. Luke stared back.

"Look," Luke said. "I'm sorry about my family."

Elliot thought about his mother and father, and all of the things they never cared enough to say. "Don't be. They… worry about you."

Luke shifted uncomfortably. 

"Anyway," Elliot said. "We just started dating. We don't have to think about sex yet, okay? I mean – not that I don't want, but—" Elliot pushed down the memory of every other time he'd let himself open up; let himself expect. "I… like you. A lot. We don't have to rush anything."

There was something very gentle in Luke's eyes when he smiled, looking partly relieved, and maybe a little disappointed. He took Elliot's hand and kissed his knuckles and then, impulsively, ducked in to catch Elliot's lips. Elliot closed his eyes and let himself feel: Luke's thumb tracing his jaw, his lips sweet against his own, the wind ruffling cloth and feathers. He felt warm affection rise inside him, the heat of something more.

He pushed into the kiss, and then pulled back, satisfied. Luke still had that smile on his face, slightly dazed, a lot pleased. Elliot suspected he could get used to it.

"No rush," Luke repeated, nodding. "Except to get back to camp. Come on. You're a week behind on your training, you know."

Elliot groaned. "Don't I get a boyfriend pass now?"

"No," Luke said firmly. "Besides," he added, a little pink, "if I may quote my sister, 'Sunborns can be a lot to keep up with.'"

Elliot snorted. "Don't I know it."

*

Being a student and a scholar, Elliot did make notes of all of the advice Rachel Sunborn imparted unsolicited. For future use, of course. That didn't prevent him from having nightmares of her summoning unicorns to Sunborn family gatherings and shaking her head disapprovingly at Elliot as Luke led them away.

By the time Luke's birthday came around, it turned out Elliot was either psychic or knew Sunborns all too well, though, because a unicorn _did_ mysteriously crash the party, causing massive property damage and minor bodily one.

Elliot didn't regret it at all.


End file.
